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THE KING’S BUSINESS
builds on the loose earth without any foun dation whatever. His structure, too, is tried. The stream breaks against it and in stantly there is a disaster. The house falls in and there is a ruin, a great ruin. Who is this builder? The man that “heareth and doeth not.” This man’s name is legion in our day. Every church congregation abounds in such. How many great ruins then there are to be, as soon as the flood rises. What are you building upon, dirt or rock, simply hearing, or hearing and doing ? Let each of us face this question and answer it honestly. 'W e will have to face it some day. Thursday, November 11. Luke 7 :l-7. Another miracle in Capernaum, the place that saw so many., This centurion occupied a much higher position than Jesus, but he recpgnized the infinite superiority of Jesus to himself (vs. 6, 7). If he had been like many masters he would have left the slave to die (cf. 1 Sam. 30:13)._ Doubtless his own compassion upon a suffering slave had much to do with his faith in Christ’s readi ness to help him. The case was desperate, the boy was at the “point of death.” There was no one else who could help him but Jesus, but there is nothing too hard for Him, and we can always turn to Him when there is no other place to go. The centurion built his faith upon what he had “heard concerning Jesus” (cf. Rom. 10:17). Those who told the centurion about Jesus had a large part in this cure; he who witnesses for Jesus never knows what may cpme of his testimony. The centurion’s prayer was short and definite, right to the point, “Lord, my boy lieth at home sick of the palsy” (Matt. 8:6, literal translation). Then came the gracious answer, “I will come and heal him” (Matt. 8:6, 7). He is ready to say the same today (Heb. 13)8). When people come to us in behalf of their 'sick friends, we, too, can say, “I will come,” but we cannot add “and heal.” Some claim today that they can, but the Apostles made no such claims for themselves (Acts 3 :12). We can, how ever, point them to One who can heal. Jesus
said, “I will come,” because He was invited. He is always ready to accept an invitation to any home or heart (Rev. 3:20). When the centurion saw Jesus actually approaching his house he was overwhelmed by his own presumption in inviting so great a one there, and he sent “friends” to intercept Him. “I am not worthy,” is the message he sent by them. “He is worthy” had been the testi mony concerning him by the Jewish elders. The man who thinks himself unworthy is the one most likely to be thought worthy by others, and the one who is surest to get the blessing from God (Ps. 10:17; Luke 18:10-14). But the centurion was right in his estimate of himself, he was not “suffi cient” (Marg. R. V.) for the Lord to come underneath his roof, and not “worthy to come” to Jesus, and no one is worthy, but “the only worthiness Christ requireth is to feel our need of Him.” The one who pleads his unworthiness will receive far more from Christ than the one who pleads his worthi ness. But however great our sense of un- worthiness, we can still approach boldly by the blood (Heb. 10:19; 4:14-16). Friday, November 12. Luke 7 :7b-10. The centurion had another reason beside his own unworthiness, why Jesus should not come underneath his roof, viz., it was un necessary, just “a word” would do the work. God alone can banish sickness by His bare word (Ps. 33:9; 107:20). The Roman sol dier considered sickness to be as absolutely subject to the word of Jesus as were his soldiers to his word. All he had to say was “go,” and the soldier went, or “come,” and the soldier came, and all Jesus would have to do to heal his servant was to say to the palsy,' “go,” and it would march. Thank God, the centurion was right about that Sickness is absolutely subject to the word of Jesus, and so also are demons, sea and wind, and death itself (Luke 4:35, 36, 39; Mark 4:39; John 11:43, 44). JesUs wondered at the centurion’s faith. He had met so little faith on earth that to find faith in such a quarter was astonishing. On another occa sion He wondered at the unbelief of His
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